1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to coatings provided on cutting elements. In particular, embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to coatings applied by hollow cathode plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition onto to the surface of polycrystalline diamond bodies.
2. Background Art
Polycrystalline diamond compact (“PDC”) cutters have been used in industrial applications including rock drilling and metal machining for many years. In a typical application, a compact of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) (or other superhard material) is bonded to a substrate material, which is typically a sintered metal-carbide to form a cutting structure. PCD comprises a polycrystalline mass of diamonds (typically synthetic) that are bonded together to form an integral, tough, high-strength mass or lattice. The resulting PCD structure produces enhanced properties of wear resistance and hardness, making PCD materials extremely useful in aggressive wear and cutting applications where high levels of wear resistance and hardness are desired.
A PDC cutter may be formed by placing a cemented carbide substrate into the container of a press. A mixture of diamond grains or diamond grains and catalyst binder is placed atop the substrate and treated under high pressure, high temperature conditions. In doing so, metal binder (often cobalt) migrates from the substrate and passes through the diamond grains to promote intergrowth between the diamond grains. As a result, the diamond grains become bonded to each other to form the diamond layer, and the diamond layer is in turn bonded to the substrate. The substrate often comprises a metal-carbide composite material, such as tungsten carbide. The deposited diamond layer is often referred to as the “diamond table” or “abrasive layer.”
An example of a drag bit for earth formation drilling using PDC cutters is shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a rotary drill bit 10 having a bit body 12. The lower face of the bit body 12 is formed with a plurality of blades 14, which extend generally outwardly away from a central longitudinal axis of rotation 16 of the drill bit. A plurality of PDC cutters 18 are disposed side by side along the length of each blade. The number of PDC cutters 18 carried by each blade may vary. The PDC cutters 18 are individually brazed to a stud-like carrier (or substrate), which may be formed from tungsten carbide, and are received and secured within sockets in the respective blade.
Common problems that plague cutting elements and specifically cutters having an ultra hard diamond-like cutting table such as PCD, polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN), or thermally stable polycrystalline diamond (TSP) bonded on a cemented carbide substrate are chipping, spalling, partial fracturing, cracking or exfoliation of the cutting table. These problems result in the early failure of the cutting table and thus, in a shorter operating life for the cutter.
A problem known to exist with such conventional PCD materials is that they are vulnerable to thermal degradation, when exposed to elevated temperature cutting and/or wear applications, caused by the differential that exists between the thermal expansion characteristics of the interstitial solvent metal catalyst material and the thermal expansion characteristics of the intercrystalline bonded diamond. Such differential thermal expansion is known to occur at temperatures of about 400° C. and can cause ruptures to occur in the diamond-to-diamond bonding. Eventually, the ruptures can result in the formation of cracks and chips in the PCD structure, rendering the PCD structure unsuited for further use.
Another form of thermal degradation known to exist with conventional PCD materials is one that is also related to the presence of the solvent metal catalyst in the interstitial regions and the adherence of the solvent metal catalyst to the diamond crystals. Specifically, the solvent metal catalyst is known to cause an undesired catalyzed phase transformation in diamond (converting it to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or graphite) with increasing temperature, thereby limiting practical use of the PCD material to about 750° C.
Attempts at addressing such unwanted forms of thermal degradation in conventional PCD materials are known in the art. Generally, these attempts have focused on the formation of a PCD body having an improved degree of thermal stability when compared to the conventional PCD materials discussed above. One known technique of producing a PCD body having improved thermal stability involves, after forming the PCD body, removing all or a portion of the solvent catalyst material therefrom.
In addition to the above-identified references that disclose treatment of the PCD body to improve the thermal stability by removing the catalyzing material from a region of the diamond body extending a minimum distance from the diamond body surface, there are other known references that disclose the practice of removing the catalyzing material from the entire PCD body. While this approach produces an entire PCD body that is substantially free of the solvent catalyst material, is it fairly time consuming. Additionally, a problem known to exist with this approach is that the lack of solvent metal catalyst within the PCD body precludes the subsequent attachment of a metallic substrate to the PCD body by solvent catalyst infiltration.
While these above-noted known approaches provide insight into diamond bonded constructions capable of providing some improved degree of thermal stability when compared to conventional PCD constructions, it is believed that further improvements in thermal stability for PCD materials useful for desired cutting and wear applications can be obtained according to different approaches that are both capable of minimizing the amount of time and effort necessary to achieve the same, and that permit formation of a thermally stable PCD construction comprising a desired substrate bonded thereto to facilitate attachment of the construction with a desired application device.
Accordingly, there exists a continuing need for PCD bodies having an improved degree of thermal stability when compared to conventional PCD materials, and that include a substrate material bonded to the PCD body to facilitate attachment of the cutting element to an application device by conventional methods such as welding or brazing and the like.